The German Völkisch Symbolist Art of Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach

Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach was a German Symbolist painter and radical social reformer. He attended the Munich Academy of Art and was deeply inspired by the works of fellow symbolist Swiss painter Arnold Bocklin. Diefenbach was a natural medicine practitioner living a nature-centered existence and mainly vegetarian, an oddity at this time. Diefenbach is a champion of reform of life , as the pioneer of naturism and the peace movement. His commune "Himmelhof" in Ober St. Veit (1897-1899) was one of the models for the students of his Gusto Graser reform founded settlements Monte Verita in Ascona. As a painter he is an independent representative of Art Nouveau and Symbolism. Diefenbach was a son of the painter and art teacher at the high school Hadamar Leonhard Diefenbach. He was a pioneer of the naturist and the peace movements. His ideas included life in harmony with nature and rejection of monogamy, turning away from any religion (although he was a follower of theosophy), and a vegetarian diet. When his commune went bankrupt, he moved to Capri and stayed there until his death in 1913. Diefenbach's life was as storied as his work and both paint a dramatic and original landscape. Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach was a major influence on the life and work of Hugo Höppener (Fidus).

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